Sometimes, Routines Change
by FloraIrmaTylee
Summary: The coffee shop is crowded and Jack is forced to share a booth with a lovely stranger.


**Okay so I was on tumblr and found a long AU list and I thought, what the heck, I need some new AUs to write because I'm stuck and long chaptered fics don't seem to click with me. I need more prompts bc I feel like writing but don't want to work on chapters...ugh. Here's the AU: "forced to share a table at the coffee shop a couple days in a row because crowded coffee shop and no room AU". The shipper in me turned to Jackunzel- because the archive needs some love and there's hardly anything new to read on fanfiction anymore. This doesn't make sense and that's all I'll say about my writing. That and it's out of character. **

* * *

Jack Frost had his routine each day.

First of all, before classes started at the university he attended, he'd stop by the same coffee shop, by the name of Santa's Workshop, named after the classic Christmas legend, because, well, who didn't love Santa Claus? It lived up to its namesake, taking the shape of a cottage decorated with multicolored lights that would shine at night, as well as decorations of holly, mistletoe, and other Christmas-y objects, all year round. It was a jolly place run by a friend of his, Nicholas North, a large Russian man that looked intimidating, but was really a kind man on the inside.

Jack liked to order the same thing- a vanilla peppermint mocha, iced, with a cinnamon bun, always at a red, cushy booth in the back of the coffee shop. He'd sit there and do homework, or just chat with his waiter or waitress, either way, it's how he passed his morning.

So, that was why today, Jack opens the door to Santa's Workshop, letting off a delicate tinkling of a bell, fake snow catching on his hand from a nearby decoration. To his surprise, there's a lot of people today. A lot. As in, the coffee shop always had a nice amount of customers, but never like this. This looked like an army of young adults, with laptops and coffee cups all over the picturesque tables and booths in festive shades of red and green.

"Jack!" His friend, and a waitress at Santa's Workshop, a girl by the name of Toothiana Faerie, nicknamed Tooth, gives him a hearty smile with straight white teeth, greeting him at the door.

"Hi, Tooth," Jack smiles towards her, shrugging off the dark blue coat he wears and draping it over her shoulder. "I like the hair."

Tooth's dark brown hair is dyed a new bunch of colors so very often, it's hard to remember that she had a normal hair shade. This week is a mess of gold, blue, green, and magenta, brushed over her forehead and swaying around her chin, chopped sloppily.

"Thanks!" Tooth grins, her unique violet eyes twinkling. Her hands poise over a pad she carries. "Usual? I've got your booth saved for you, since there's a lot of people today."

"Thanks," Jack echoes her earlier statement, thankful he doesn't have to find his own spot in the zoo of people. "Yup. Usual. Why is there so many people today?"

"Alright," Tooth makes a note of this, and then looks up. "North- you know how he is- decided to have one of his fundraisers for kids. Everything's half price today, and everything goes to the cause. It's going on for a few more days."

"That's great," Jack means it when he says this, and he makes to walk to his booth. "Well, see you in a bit then, Tooth."

Tooth gives him a mock salute before turning to give his order to the kitchens.

His usual area has been reserved with a small card, like you'd see at a fancy wedding reception, and Jack grins, the purple gel pen that's written the words "Reserved for Jack Frost" so much like Tooth, down to the flowing calligraphy. Jack sets the card aside, next to him, and sets out a few textbooks, figuring he'll get some studying in during his morning routine. He cracks open a book, flipping pages and only pausing to write down occasional notes.

Alright. First class: English. His class is studying Shakespeare, but then again, what English class doesn't? The play makes no sense- and he's rereading the same lines over and over before he gives up and closes it with a loud smack that the next table can hear. He's starting to take out paper, and notebooks, and decides he'll try and get some math homework done before a quiet cough interrupts him.

There's a girl clutching a bag and some books, standing next to his booth, and offering him a tentative smile. She looks rather nervous to even approach him, and she shifts her books in her arms at least twice before she speaks.

"Can I sit here?" her voice is apologetic. "There's no more room."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jack moves some of his stuff out of the way, clearing the other side of the booth for the girl to sit.

When she's settled and opens a notebook, Jack takes a few quick glances to capture the sight of her. She's a few inches shorter than he is, at least she would be if he stood up, and she had a slim build most girls would love to have. Golden hair- impossibly long, he noticed, going to her waist- tucked behind one ear with a paintbrush, that flowed down her back. Her eyes, green, that seemed to shine in the fluorescent lights that shone down on the booth. She had pink lips, pursed in thought down at her notebook, her eyes blinking ever so often, eyelashes brushing the soft skin under her eyelids. Freckles dotted her nose, and spread daintily over her cheeks, but only lightly.

Jack's pretty much decided that, as girls go, she was lovely, before she looks up and catches him in the act, and his gaze instantly drops back to his math homework.

She only gives him a patient, pretty smile, and sets her notebook aside, taking the paintbrush out of her hair and placing it next to it. "I never got your name," she says cheerfully, and sticks a slender hand towards Jack. "I'm Rapunzel."

"Jack," Jack introduces himself, and takes her hand in his own for two heartbeats before they both pull away. She smiles, and scoots up on the plushy red seat cushions, and looks Jack over, probably taking in the sight of his band tee, khaki jeans, blue eyes, pale skin, and white hair with her.

Rapunzel reaches for her notebook again, and takes a pencil out of her bag, and Jack goes back to his own work, but he finds that his mind doesn't let him go back to that math. Instead, his eyes wander towards Rapunzel, who is sketching all over her paper, blowing away eraser bits, eyebrows narrowed in concentration, in a way that's almost comical. Jack lets out a little laugh, and Rapunzel's head snaps up to see what is so funny.

"Your face," Jack tries to explain, but can't, and just laughs again. "Sorry." He looks at what she's drawing, a pretty landscape, with an outline of animals, and then scattered stick figures that he's sure are the basis of people. "That looks really cool."

Rapunzel's confused expression melts to one of pleasure, cheeks blooming a rosy pink. "Thank you."

"You're an artist?" Jack asks, craning his head to see the picture better.

"Not really-" Rapunzel tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, I loving drawing. I do it whenever I get a chance, but that's not what I'm studying."

"So- you're a uni student," Jack notes, and waggles his eyebrows in a way that strikes Rapunzel as funny.

"Yes," she gives a light giggle, ducking so that her hair falls back into her face. "I want to be a surgeon. Plastic surgeon, medical surgeon, whichever. I just really like to help people feel good, mentally and physically."

"Wow, that's selfless," Jack says, genuinely astounded at Rapunzel's sincerity.

"I guess," Rapunzel smiles bashfully. "What about you? Are you in college?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Berk University," Jack says, and Rapunzel's face lights up.

"Me too!" she squeals, and then she blushes, this time a red that colors her face. "Sorry. Keep going." Jack gives her a fond smile before he does, though.

"I want to be- well, I don't know yet," he says. "Everyone says I'm great with kids though. Maybe I'll be a teacher. Or a professional snowboarder. I do a bit of that."

"Those are some great jobs ideas, though," Rapunzel smiles. "Far fetched. I like them."

"Yeah," Jack smiles back, sheepishly. They're interrupted by their waitress, Tooth, who's carrying a plate of their orders, and calling Jack's name excitedly.

"I've got your-" she pauses when she sees Rapunzel, and her smile instantly gets bigger. "Oh, _hello_." Jack already knows what she's planning before she even speaks, and he's dreading when she keeps talking. "You're that girl who ordered a little bit ago! Rapunzel, right? I have your order right here, too. How do you know Jack? Are you single? Because you're really cute!"

"Thank you, Tooth," Jack groans. "Please go away."

"I've just met him, actually," Rapunzel says happily, ignoring him. "Are you two friends?"

"We've been friends since high school," Tooth smiles, chatting with the girl like she intends to do it all day. "He was a real loner, and a total geek-"

"Please go away," Jack repeats. Rapunzel and Tooth keep talking, though.

"Was he?" Rapunzel grins.

"There was this one time, when-"

"Tooth!" a grouchy voice, annoyed, calls out to the waitress. "You've got three tables to clear, and orders!" The three at the booth turn to face the manager of the cafe, Aster Bunnymound, who glared towards Jack in particular as if it offended him that Jack was even there.

"Yeash. I gotta fly, so nice to meet you," Tooth tells Rapunzel, and she dashes away, right after leaving the pastries, a cinnamon bun and piece of pie, and lidded cups on the table of the booth.

Rapunzel waves after her, and the two settle back into silence, but it's comfortable as they eat and drink. "Is that your girlfriend?" Rapunzel asks, a little later, taking a bite of cherry pie, licking the spoon carefully to clean it of golden graham crumbs and red juice.

"Tooth? No," Jack says. "She's got a boyfriend, and that's creepy, I've known her too long."

"She's really nice," Rapunzel smiles after Tooth's far-away figure.

"Blunt, too," Jack says, and Rapunzel blushes.

"Yeah," she says. "So, what kind of coffee are you drinking?"

"Coffee?" Jack questions her choice of topic.

"Well, I'm curious, go on, tell me," Rapunzel leans forwards in her seat, grinning childishly.

"Vanilla peppermint. I like the frosty chill it gives," Jack says, "It's iced. That satisfy your curiosity?"

Rapunzel laughs, just once, before she leans her lid forwards. "I have a green tea," she says. "I think that drinks show a lot about people."

"Shows I like cold drinks," Jack raises his cup in a salute, and Rapunzel laughs, the sound tinkling like music.

"Then I like warm ones," she lifts her tea, and gives a sly wink, before Jack and her burst out laughing together, until their drinks clatter back onto the table and their books and work are forgotten.

"It sounds like you're talking about a body," Jack mutters through chuckles, and Rapunzel peals into laughter all over again.

They two chatter on in amiable conversation, they both share each other's desserts, and try each other's drinks, and become friends before they both have to leave for classes.

* * *

The restaurant's still crowded, and Jack's greeted by Tooth again, before he can even take his coat off again.

"Usual?" Tooth's eyes sparkle, so like her happy self, flashing a wide grin.

"Yup," Jack says, and he goes to his usual booth, thinking this time he might actually get some English work done, messily spreading out papers and his supplies on the table.

Before he can open his book, though, there's a familiar voice.

"You don't mind if I sit here again?" Rapunzel smiles, stretching her pale pink lips in an agreeable expression, books in her arms and her lidded cup and small plate in both hands.

"That looks like a lot," Jack reaches for Rapunzel's items, laying them down onto the table, and she sits.

"Thanks," she says gratefully. "It's still full."

"I don't mind," Jack smiles, and Rapunzel blushes, taking her cup in her hand.

"I see you're studying Shakespeare," Rapunzel says, her gaze drifting to the book Jack held. "May I?"

"Sure," Jack hands Rapunzel his book, and her eyes light up when she sees the title.

"Hamlet," she says blissfully, and opens the book, reading a few lines and smiling. "I love this play."

"You read it for a class?" Jack is puzzled.

"No, just read it," Rapunzel says, turning a page. "What part are you on?"

"Act one, scene one, line one," Jack jokes, and Rapunzel laughs, lying the book down, closing it carefully.

"It's really interesting. What are you supposed to do with it?" she asks.

"Write an essay," Jack says, "And describe how Shakespeare has the characters behave a certain way, analyze their personalities, and describe how the deaths could've been avoided. Typical."

"That sounds so fun!" Rapunzel smiles, and she's staring at the book again.

"Not really. I'm not the best with reading," Jack confesses. Rapunzel bites her bottom lip, flashing a small line of perfectly white teeth, and she looks up at him.

"I could help you," she offers. "What is it you don't understand?"

"You don't have to," Jack says, having only known her for a day, but Rapunzel shakes her head, her golden hair coming untucked and falling over her shoulders.

"I want to; I love Hamlet." She picks up the book, turns to the first page, and spreads it so that Jack can see. "Here's the first scene. There's not much happening, but we learn that the men standing guard are afraid of something- that's why they're talking and changing posts."

Jack keeps his eyes on the page, but ever so often, he looks up to see Rapunzel, and watches as she twirls a strand of hair between two fingers, or when she shifts forward in her seat, practically sitting on the table.

"You should sit next to me," Jack says, while she's explaining scene two, and she looks up in surprise. "It'll be better- that looks uncomfortable."

"Oh. Sure," Rapunzel blushes, and she scoots out of her side of the booth, taking a seat next to Jack. "See, here, Hamlet's hurt that his mother remarried to his uncle so soon after his dad died-"

Jack tries to concentrate, but she's distracting. She smells like flowers, and of strawberries, and ever so often, she stops to take a drink of her green tea, and licks her lips moist, and Jack swallows hard, watching as she places a slim finger on the black printed words, and explains what each thing means, and how the characters were relevant, as well as the literary term that comes up.

"Jack, I've got your-" Tooth begins, but never finishes, and her lips curl into a smile. "Hello!"

"Hi," Rapunzel pauses, and smiles up at Tooth, than laughs, embarrassed, and blushes. "I just realized I don't remember your name."

"Tooth," Tooth smiles broadly, handing Jack his usual, and sticks out a hand for Rapunzel to shake, and Rapunzel does, smiling back.

"Rapunzel," she says, even though Tooth knows her name.

"You can leave now," Jack tells Tooth just to mess with her, even though he's smiling.

"Jack, always joking," Tooth rolls her eyes, and she continues to chat with Rapunzel. "It's so kind of you to help him with his work. He needs all the help he can get."

"_Thank you_, Tooth, you can leave now," Jack repeats.

"I do love Shakespeare," Rapunzel smiles down at the book.

"Oh, and she's smart too, Jack. This is the type of girlfriend you need, not like your last one. I'm pretty sure she didn't know how to read-"

"Tooth," Jack lays his head on the table dramatically, "Don't you have orders to give out?"

"Alright, alright. Here's your coffee, your cinnamon bun, and for Rapunzel, raspberry iced tea and cheesecake. Gotta run, Aster's giving me the evil eye," Tooth says, laying down each item and hurrying off to the next table.

"Ahem- This girlfriend of yours," Rapunzel says once Tooth is gone, stirring her tea with a straw, "How long have you guys been together?"

"What? No, I broke up with her like two months ago," Jack says, thinking back to the girl Tooth had mentioned with a shudder. "Before that we'd only been together for like a month. She was a nightmare."

"So- no girlfriend then," Rapunzel blushes for some unknown reason and she picks up a fork.

"No. What about you?" Jack asks. "No boyfriend?"

"No... Well, we broke up recently. I mean, we'd been together for a few years but I just felt so off about it," Rapunzel admits, picking at her cheesecake. "He met someone else, too, around the time."

"His loss," Jack boldly declares. Rapunzel flushes a pretty pink and lifts her cup to her mouth.

Jack does the same and winks over the rim. Rapunzel sets it down and giggles.

"Maybe we should get started on your paper," Rapunzel says. "Do you have pen?"

Jack writes at least half of his paper- with Rapunzel's help- before the morning's over.

* * *

"Hi, Jack!" Rapunzel sits down at his table, setting down her book bag and pulling a light pink cardigan over her shoulders. She looks beautiful today, hair braided back with flowers adorning the hairstyle, a white dress that hovered around her knees. Jack has to admit that she's gorgeous, and that maybe his mind has been straying past being her friend since yesterday.

"Hey, Rapunzel," Jack gives her a grin in response.

"It's still really crowded," Rapunzel says, setting herself comfortably on the bench cushions.

"Yeah, the half price fundraiser's still going on," Jack says, "I guess when it's over everyone will go back to their expensive Starbucks or something."

"I always liked this place," Rapunzel says, "It reminds me of Christmas. And their food is really good."

"Have you ever been here for lunch?" Jack asks. "They make a mean meatloaf. Fruitcake, too, if you're into that."

"You're not?" She quirks one eyebrow.

"No. I've never really liked fruitcake."

"Why not? It's delicious!" Rapunzel waves over the nearest waitress, some new one, Jack supposes, because he's never seen her before. "Excuse me.." She reads her nametag- "Anna. Can we get two orders of fruitcake?"

"Sure!" Anna beams and sets off to the kitchens.

"_Rapunzel_. I don't like fruitcake."

"_Jack_. Just try it."

"I have tried it. It's nasty."

"No it isn't."

"Yeah, it is."

"When was the last time you tried it?" Rapunzel arches her eyebrows and leans forward on the table.

"Like, two years ago."

"Exactly. So you need to try it again."

"Oh, look!" Tooth glides up to the table, tray in hand, wide smile on her face. "My favorite couple."

"God, Tooth," Jack groans, "Don't you have anyone else to annoy?"

"Not when I deliver your orders! Jack, the usual," Tooth sets down his iced coffee and cinnamon bun. "Rapunzel, your white chocolate cappuccino and snickerdoodle cookies."

"Thanks, Tooth," Rapunzel smiles.

"I love those cookies. Don't you, Jack? I mean, they taste like sugary cinnamon and- oh, Aster's glaring again. Can't anger the manager. Gotta run!" Tooth scampers off.

"Fruitcake!" Anna comes not a minute later with two small plates of fruitcake.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel says.

Jack stares at the plate in front of his face. The fruitcake looks slimy. At least he thinks so. It's got weird things he's sure is supposed to be fruit but it doesn't look like them.

Rapunzel forks a piece of fruitcake and tries it. "Mmmm," she closes her eyes and gives a throaty moan, "This is delicious."

Jack pokes it with a finger.

"Come on, Jack, just try it!"

He tentatively picks up a piece of it and lays it on his tongue. It's sweet, sure, but that isn't enough. The texture of it makes it hard to swallows and he feels like he's eating a sponge. North was a great cook, but when all he eats is fruitcake, Jack is going to be biased on the food. (Plus, there was an unfortunate memory involving a dozen matches, fruitcake, and a naked picture of Aster that Jack doesn't like to think about).

He ends up spitting it out.

"Blegh," he takes his iced coffee and drinks out the taste.

"How can you not like it?" Rapunzel takes his order of the fruitcake and sets it next to hers.

"Because I don't."

"Okay, sorry," Rapunzel looks slightly embarrassed, and Jack feels a bit bad because she wanted him to like the same things she did. He sighs.

"Pass it back."

"But- you don't like it."

"No, I was just...messing with you. I love fruitcake."

He begrudgingly eats it all, but it's worth it, because Rapunzel smiles at him the entire time.

He kind of wants her to keep smiling.

* * *

Jack's running late. But he feels too happy, that he doesn't notice the crowd of people in Santa's Workshop has gotten smaller.

"Jack!" Tooth greets him, like always. "The fundraiser was such a success, you know? North's thinking that he ought to do one each month. He just loves to help kids. Anyway, usual?"

"Yep," Jack yanks off his coat quickly. "My booth still free?"

"In a way," Tooth says with a sly look.

There's plenty of tables open. Jack's heart sinks in his chest when he realizes that Rapunzel probably wouldn't be back to the cafe since the half price fundraiser had ended. It makes the news that he brought significantly less exciting now that he would be the only one who would get happy over it.

"Jack!"

Or maybe not. Rapunzel sits at his booth, giving him a wave, her order already at the table. Today's is a mango-passion fruit smoothie and a few cake pops. Jack smiles, because the cake pops are covered in pink chocolate and it seems so much like Rapunzel, even if he's barely gotten to know her these past few days.

"Punz," Jack says cheerfully, giving her a nickname as he sits down across from her.

"_Punz_," Rapunzel tries out the nickname, but then she smiles. "I like it."

"Good, 'cause it's not your choice."

Rapunzel giggles, just once, and then seems to notice that Jack is unscrambling a paper from his pocket. "What's that?"

"I got an A on my paper," Jack says, flashing the giant red mark on the top of the page, "Thanks to you."

"Jack!" Rapunzel gives him a hug, leaning across the table. Her hair falls into his face and she squeezes her thin arms around his neck tightly, but it's worth it. She smells like cherries today, and maybe roses, and he rather likes it. She pulls back, an excited look on her face. "That's great!" Looking down, she sees that one of her cake pops had smushed into her pale purple tank top, and her face falls. "Oh."

Jack hands her napkins, but it won't seem to come off. "I'll ask Tooth if she has a shirt you can borrow-" Jack starts to say, but Tooth is already approaching their table.

"It was such a cute top, too!" Tooth's small hands move to cover her mouth. "Rapunzel- I'll get you a shirt right away!" She hands Jack's order to him and then gives her tray to a passing waiter, rushing off to the back room behind the counter.

"No, it's okay," Rapunzel laughs, but Tooth is already out of earshot. Turning to Jack, she smiles. "She's so sweet."

"Well, she's Tooth," Jack grins. Rapunzel nods, smiling sheepishly, and she eats one of her remaining cake pops.

"I want to thank you," Jack stammers, feeling a little nervous, "For helping me with the paper. So, if you're not busy for lunch today- maybe you'd like to go out with me?"

"You mean- like a date?" Rapunzel says playfully, a smile on her face.

Jack copies her grin. "Like a date."

"I would like to try that meatloaf you mentioned," Rapunzel pretends to think about it, but she's blushing pink and Jack already has his answer. "Sure."

"Do you have any classes today?"

"My first morning class got cancelled. If you've got nothing to do, we can talk some more."

"So does that mean I can get your number?" Jack grins.

"I'm pretty sure you can," Rapunzel teases him back, flirting just a little, taking a sip of her smoothie.

"It's official, then. I'm taking you out for lunch, maybe dinner, possibly even more dates than that."

"You're confident," Rapunzel smiles, "But I guess you'll be an okay boyfriend."

"OMG, he's your boyfriend now?! What did I _missssss_?!"

Cue Tooth.

"Please, Tooth, quit embarrassing me," Jack groans, a red color settling on his cheeks.

"He's pretty much my boyfriend now," Rapunzel smiles.

"Oh. My. God. I thought I'd never see the day. Aster!" Tooth is clearly excited. "Can you believe it? Jack's got a girlfriend! Oh, you've got to come meet her! _Aster_!"

"Rack off!" they hear Tooth's manager call, and they erupt into laughter.

"Here, I brought the shirt. Oh, you guys are soo adorable-"

"Tooth, please," Jack moans, "Go away."

Rapunzel laughs. And she smiles.

So Jack smiles back.


End file.
